Regarded as one of the landmark plays of the 20th century, RHINOCEROS explores how extreme social conformity and self-delusion can lead even the most civilized among us to turn into mindless savages.
A rhinoceros suddenly appears in a sleepy town, trampling through the peaceful streets, and leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Soon another appears, and another and another, until it becomes clear that it is ordinary citizens who are transforming into the beasts as they learn to “move with the times.”
Full of biting wit and nightmarish anxiety, RHINOCEROS reflects Ionesco’s youthful flight from Romania, as more and more of his acquaintances there began to adhere to the fascist Iron Guard.